Venetian blind



H. s. ROSENBAUM 2,851,098 V VENETIAN BLIND Sept. 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Jan. 14. 1955 Kan QFFuoeps ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1958 H. s.ROSENBAUM VENETIAN BLIND Filed Jan. 14,1955

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY VENETIAN BLIND Harry S. Rosenbaurn,Baltimore, Md., assignor to Eastern Products Corporation, a corporationof Maryland Application January 14, 1955, Serial No. 481,830

6 Claims. (Cl. 160-176) The present invention relates to tiltingapparatus for Venetian blinds. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to a Venetian blind structure which includes a novel tilt drumand gear arrangement that is adapted to control the angular adjustmentof the blind slats.

In the heretofore known Venetian blind units, it was the normal practiceto employ a tilt pulley and gear arrangement that was operativelyconnected to the operating cord and responsive to the movement thereofto effect an angular adjustment of the blind slats. Prior to the instantinvention, these heretofore known tilting units consisted of a pulleyconnected to a worm that in turn operatively engaged a worm gear, theworm gear being secured to a tilt bar. The axis of the pulley wasnormally positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tiltbar and thus the operating ends of the cord quite frequently becameentangled with the blind slats and tapes. The pulley was alsoconstructed such that the operating cord was securedthereto by only oneturn and rotation of the pulley was effected through frictionalengagement between the pulley and the cord. The cord frequently slippedon the pulley and adjustments were often necessary to even the ends ofthe operating cord. However, it was sometimes inconvenient to make thecord adjustment in such cases when the tilt bar was located in a highposition and it was then necessary to use a chair or step ladder toreach the pulley. Another objectionable feature ofthe heretofore knownconstructions was that the opcrating cord wore very rapidly due to thefriction between the cord and pulley, thereby necessitating frequentcord repairs.

i It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide atilting structure for Venetian blind slats that is simplein'construction, economical, and easy to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a Venetian blindtilt drum around which several turns,

or the operating cord are wound.

I Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tiltingstructure for a Venetian blind wherein the longitudinal axis of theblind tilt shaft is parallel to the axis of the blind tilt drum. Stillanother object ofthe present invention is to provide a novel tilt drumconstruction for a Venetian blind, the aXis of said tilt drum beingdisplaced with respect to the longitudinal axis of the blind tilt shaft.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro vide a tiltstructure for a Venetian blind which includes a bracket that is simplyand quickly mounted in the blind head rail housing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel drumconstruction for a tilting structure that is fabricated in a uniquemanner.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant inventionwill be apparent from the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

' Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the Venetian blind atent O we 1CFig. 2 is a top plan view of the Venetian blind tilting structureillustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2 showing the tiltingdrum and gear structure;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, .aVenetian blind assembly is illustrated and includes a tilt shaft housinggenerally indicated at 10. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the tilt shafthousing 10 is formed with a front wall 12, a rear wall 14 and a bottomwall 15. The upper edges of the front and rear walls 12 and 14 are bentinwardly and thereby form a channel for receiving a tilt bracketgenerally indicated at 16 and a second bracket 18. The brackets 16 and18 have rotatably mounted therebetween a tilt shaft or rod 20 which isformed with a slot 21 (Figs. 2 and 6) for receiving in spaced relationtape bracket 22, 24. Secured to the tape brackets 22, 24 are laddertapes 26, 28 which carry the conventional type ladders for receivingslats 30 thereon, the tapes 26, 28 and associated ladders being adaptedto mount the slats 39 in position and to effect angular adjustmentthereof. The lowermo-st'ends of the tapes 26, 28 are secured to a bottomrail 32 which also has secured thereto a lifting cord 34. The liftingcord 34 extends around pulleys 36 and 38 mounted in the housing 10 andis responsive to manual operation thereof to lift the bottom rail foraccumulating the slats 30.

Referring now to Figs. 36, the novel tilting mechanism embodied in thepresent invention is illustrated and comprises the tilt bracket 16which, as described above, is secured to the housing 10. The tiltbracket 16 is formed with a vertical plate 40 to which is integrallyjoined thereto an upper horizontal portion 42, the horizontal portion 42being formed with inwardly turned edges 44 which are securely receivedbetween the inwardly curved edges of the front and rear walls 12, 14 ofthe housing 10. integrally joined to the plate 40 and bentperpendicularly thereto is a vertical plate 46 which is formed with anopening 48 therein, the plate 46 being further formed with an extension49 extending outwardly therefrom (Fig. 3). Bent at right angles to theplate 40 is a's ide flange 52 that is designed to add rigidity to thebracket construction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the plate 40 is joinedto a horizontal base 54 that includes upstanding flanges 56, 58. Thebase 54 extends into a neck portion 6%) that has an opening 62 formedtherein, the neck portion 60 terminating in a tongue 64. In the assemblyof the bracket 16 in the housing 10, the tongue 64 fits beneath thebottom wall 15 of the housing and acts to secure the bracket to thehousing. Depending from the flanges 56, 58 adjacent the opening 62 areextensions 65 that are adapted to receive a pin 66 therein, the pin 66rotatably mounting the pulley 36 in the opening 62- which is formed inthe neck portion 60 of the base 54.

'As described above, the pulley 36 receives the cord 34 and forms partof the slat accumulating mechanism.

Secured to the vertical plate 46 is a plate '76 (see Fig. 6) that has aconfiguration similar to the plate 46 and has an opening formed thereincommunicating with the opening 48. Extending outwardly from the plate 70is an extension 72 that corresponds in configuration to the extension 49formed on the plate 46 and it is seen that the plates 46 and 70 areessentially identical, forming a rigid structure.

Pivotally secured to the plates 46 and by an arm 74 is a grommet 76, thegrommet 76 extending through i an opening formed in the bottom Wall 16of the housing bearing slot 82 for receiving a shaft-84.The-"extensions.

ofthe.-plates*46 and-70am similarly formed and provide a second bearingsurface for the shaft 84. The plate 40 also-has a slot 85 formedtherein' (Fig. 6) which receives the end of the shaft 84. Referring toFig. 4, the shaft 84 is shown mounted for rotation intheslot 82 definedby the plates 46 and 70 and has secured thereto a worm 86 that extendsthrough the opening 48 -and the similar opening formed in the plate 70.Formed on the shaft M -adjacent the outer end thereofis an enlargedportion 87, the outerend-of which terminates in a rivet 88. Se cured tothe outer end ofthe shaft 84 by the rivet 88 is a'--drum'= generallyindicated at 90 that is adapted to-have the operating cord woundtherearound. The drum 90 is formed in two cup-shaped elements 92 and 94,the open sides of which face in opposite directions. The extensions ofthe plates 46 and 70 together with the shaft 84 extend into thecup-shaped element 92, the rivet 88 extending through openings formed inthe base portion of each element, and the enlarged portion 87 abuttingagainst the base portion of the element 92. It isseen that the elements92, 94 are securely locked together by peening over the head of therivet 88 on the-inner side of the base portion of the element 94. Asshown in Figs.- 3 and 4, the elements 92, 94 are formed with an annularflange'96 and 98, respectively, the surface of the elements 92 and 94between the flanges 96 and 98 thereby defining the body of the drum 90upon which an operating cord 100-is wound. In order to more securelyanchor the operating cord 100 to the drum 90 and thereby preventslipping during the tilting operation, the flanges 96 and 98 are bothslotted at 102 and 104, respectively, the slots extending into thesurface of the elements 92, '94 as shown in Fig. 3. The base portion ofeach element is provided with an opening 106 for receiving theoperatingcord and it is apparent, particularly in Figs. 3 and -4, that thesurface of the drum 90 provides sufiicient area for several turns of thecord to be Wound therearound. Since the operating cord 100 is Woundseveral times around the surface of the drum 90 and extends through theinterior thereof,-the cord is firmly secured to the drum and will notslip upon operation thereof as is commonly experienced in the heretoforeknown Venetian blind tilting devices.

One of the features of the present invention is providing convenientaccess to the operating cord 100 and preventing the cord from becomingentangled with the slats 30. For this purpose, the drum 90 is positionedadjacent the front wall 12 of the housing and the drum axis is locatedin parallel relation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tiltshaft but displacedtherefrom. By locating the drum adjacent the front'wall 12,-the ends of the operating cord are essentially free from theslats 30.

'In the heretofore known blind tilting devices,--the axis of the pulleyis perpendicular to the tilt shaft and-the size of the. pulley-isnecessarily limited by the proximity of the front wall of the associatedhousing. It is seen that by positioning the axis of the drum 90 parallelto the tilt shaft 20, the length of the drum is not limited by thehousing wall and, accordingly, the drum may be of any size desired.Thus,- more turns of the cord may: be wound around the drum surface,thereby increasingthe mechanical advantage of the device. the drum 90 isparallel to the tilt shaft 20 anddisplaced therefrom, rotation of thedrum 90 must be transferred to the tilt-shaft 20 through a gear train.As shown particularly in Fig. 4, the worm 86 which is secured forrotation to the shaft 84 engages a worm gear 102 that is Since the axisof rotatably mounted in the plates 46 and 70 by a pin 104. Operativelyengaging the worm gear 102 is a cup gear 106 that is rotatably mountedon the outer side of the vertical plate 40. The cup gear 106 is formedwith an extension 108 that is adapted to receive the end of the tiltshaft 20, the extension 108 being tapered for positively locking the endof the tilt shaft 20 thereto.

In operation, the drum is rotated by pulling either of the free ends ofthe operating cord depending therefrom. "Since several turns of the cordengage the drum, the drum is firmly secured to the cord andinstantlyiresponsive to movement thereof. Rotation of the drum 90 causesthe shaft'84 and the worm 86 secured thereto to rotate. The worm gear102 is then rotated which, in turn, transfers the rotary motion to thecup gear 106 and tilt shaft 20. Rotation of the tilt shaft 20 verticallymoves the tapes 26 and 28 and thus the blind slats 30 are rotated to thedesired angular position.

-It is seen that by offsetting the axis of the drum.90 with respect tothe tilt shaft 20, the free ends of the operating cord are moreaccessible. It is alsoseen that by utilizing the 'drum 90, a relativelylarge number of wraps of the operating cord may be wound around the drumsurface, thereby resulting in a large mechanical advantage for effectingthe slat tilting operation. Furthermore, the same size cord is utilizedfor the tilting device thatis-employed for the slat accumulating means,which is distinct from the prior art devices wherein a smaller diameteroperating cord is utilized for the tilting mechanism than is used forthe slat accumulating mechanism. The present device is simple inoperation. economical and rigidly constructed, thereby avoidingfrequent. maintei nance. The operating cords are normally free of weardue to friction and thus replacement costs are minimized.

- It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changesmay be made without departing from thespirit of the invention andtherefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawingsand described. in'the specification but only as indicated in theappended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In aVenetian blind, a tilting mechanismcomprising an elongated housing including a front wall, area wallandabottom wall, a driving drum, a tilt shaft, a transmission connectingsaid driving drum with said tilt shaft, said drum, said tilt shaft, andsaid transmission being. located within said housing, a bracket mountedwithin; said housing for supporting said transmission, said bracketincluding a horizontal portion formed With inwardly turned edges, whichare releasably received between said housing front and rear walls and alower section terminating in a reduced portion that engages said housingbottom wall, said reduced portion cooperating with said inwardly turnededges to secure said bracket to said housing, the projection of the axisof said drum being parallel to and laterally spaced from the axis ofsaid tilt shaft, said axis of said drum being located closer to saidfront wall thanthe axis of said tilt shaft, whereby an operating cordwrapped around said drum may emerge from said housing and extend downover a Venetian blind dependingfrom said-housing with a minimum ofchange in direction and interference with said blind.

2. The structure recited in claim 1,. said drumcomprising a pair ofinverted cups joined together centrally of their bottoms, said drumbeing. supported in cantilever fashion by said transmission extendinginto one of said cups.

3. The structure recited in claim 1, said transmission 1 comprising ashaft connected coaxially to said-drum, a

worm mounted on said shaft, a wormgear. having an axis at right anglesto the axis of said drum and to theaxis ofsaid tilt-shaft, and a drivengear mounted on said .tilt shaft in coaxial relation therewith, wherebysaid tiltshaft may be driven by said drum While the axes of rotation ofsaiddnim and said tiltshaft are parallel andthe projections of said axesare laterally spaced from each other.

4. The structure recited in claim 3, said drum comprising a pair ofinverted cups joined together centrally of their bottoms, said drumbeing supported in cantilever fashion 'by said transmission extendinginto one of said cups.

5. The structure recited in claim 3, said bracket comprising a pair ofplates each having planular portions, the planular portion of one plateoverlying the planular portion of the other plate, a part of theplanular portion of at least one of said plates being cylindricallydished to act as a bearing for said Worm shaft.

6. In a Venetian blind, a tilting mechanism comprising an elongatedhousing including a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall, a bracketmounted within said housing, said bracket including an upper horizontalplate formed with inwardly turned edges which are releasably receivedbetween said housing front and rear walls, a first vertical plate joinedto said horizontal plate, a second vertical plate joined to said firstvertical plate and disposed at right angles thereto, a third verticalplate overlying the planular portion of said second plate andcooperating therewith to define a bearing, a lower horizontal platejoined to said first vertical portion and overtil lying said housingbottom wall, said second horizontal plate terminating in a tongue thatfits beneath said housing bottom wall and cooperating with said firsthorizontal plate to secure said bracket to said housing, a tilt shaftjournalled in said first vertical plate, a. gear secured to said tiltshaft, a worm gear mounted on said second vertical plate and engagingsaid gear, a shaft journalled in said bearing, a worm engaging said wormgear and mounted on said shaft and a driving drum secured to said shaft,the axis of said drum being parallel to the axes of said tilt shaft andbeing located closer to said front wall than the axis of said tiltshaft, and an operating cord wrapped around said drum and emerging fromsaid housing for rotating said drum, thereby rotating said tilt shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,182,804 Haase Dec. 12, 1939 2,250,106 Lorentzen July 22, 19412,264,609 Ban Dec. 2, 1941 2,334,132 Sherwood Nov. 9, 1943 2,388,000Larson Oct. 30, 1945 2,580,252 Stuber Dec. 25, 1951

